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No. 622,031. Patented Mar. 28, |399.

- w. s. ARCHER.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING, COMBING, AND VASSDH'TING FIBROUS MATERIALS.

' .4 (.Applction led Apr. 2, 1896. Renewed Oct. 20, 1898.)

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IlNirnD STATE-s WILLIAM S. ARCHER,

FAIENIIQYMMEM OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING, COMBING, AND ASSORTING FIBROUS MATERIALS.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 622,031, dated March 28, 1899.

Application filed April 2, 1896. Renewed October 20, 1898. Serial No. 694,079. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that. I, WILLIAM SEWARD ARCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Cleaning, Combing, and Assorting Mineral Fiber, (which has been patented in Great Britain, dated August 4, 1894, No. 14,973,) of which the following is a speciiication.

The object of this invention is principally to provide means whereby the assortingofmineral fibers or asbestos is performed mechanically and whereby the fibers are more efficiently and satisfactorily cleaned and combed without injury or loss of staple, and thus-finer and more uniform yarn or goods are produced than heretofore has been the case.

In order that my invention may be more fully understood, Ihave caused to be appended hereunto drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a longitudinal section of a complete machine or apparatus for cleaning, combing, and assorting fibrous materialsconstrueted according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view, and Fig. 3 a side view, of the end portion of the picker-roller on an enlarged scale. The remaining figures show modications. Fig. 4. is a vertical section showing the arrangement when two or more picker-rollers are employed. Fig. 5 is a section of two of the bars on a larger scale, and Fig. 6 shows another form of the cross-section of the bars.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear. Y

In carrying out my invention and referring to the figures generally I employ within a suitable frame or casing a a spiked cylinder l), hereinafter termed the picker-roller, below which is situated a grid c, the fibers being fed between the picker-roller h and grid c, preferably by a feed-apron cl and a pair of feed-rollers e, while the cleaned and combed fibers are projected by the picker-roller h into an assorting-chamberffor classification.

The grid c is composed of a suitable number of knife-edged metal bars c', each, except the first, having one or more rows of pins or teeth c2, incliuing or pointing obliquely in the direction in which the fibers travel. Between the picker-roller b and' the assortingchamber f a cover g is employed, the under side of which is also furnished with pins or teeth g', pointing obliquely in the direction in which the fibers travel, so as to cause them to be thoroughly cleaned and combed before arrival in the asserting-chamber f.

The periphery of the picker-roller b I furnish or form longitudinally with radially-adjustable fan-blades h, which serve to create a gentle current of air in the direction of the assorting-chamber f for the purpose of carrying or projecting the cleaned and combed fibers into the same. The fan-blades h being radially adjustable, more or less current of air can be produced, as may be required.

In the present instance the blades h are mounted in arms h', fixed to the ends of the roller h and rendered adjustable therein by means of bolts h', passed through holes formed in the arms b and the ends of the blades 72.. However, in some cases said fan-blades may be lowered below the periphery of the pickerroller, and thus rendered inoperative, or a picker-roller without fan-blades may be employed.

For the purpose of regulating or arresting the current of air below the grid c as may be required I employ a number of partitions c3, extending from the lower edge of the gridbars c'. The grid-bars c are rendered adjustable toward each other, and they are adj ustable in series toward the picker-roller b by means of bolts c5, inserted in slots in the bracket c4, which holds the bars, so that the cleaning, combing, and consequently theas-` sorting action may be varied.

I attach much importance to the curvature of the cross-section of the bars c', as shown in Fig. 1. I prefer about the degree of curvature shown in that figure. I find that it conduces to the reception of the dirt, allowing that alone to fall into the compartment Z and allowing all the fiber to travel onward; but my invention may be Worked successfully with other degrees of curvature or without any curvature, as I have shown in Fig. 6. The cover g is hinged to the casing a and IOO thereby rendered adjustable toward the grid c, so as to narrow or widen the passage thro u ghV which the material under treatment passes f rom 'the picker-roller I; to the assorting-chamberf, as may be required. A ap z', resting on the cover g, is hinged to the assortingchamber f to cover the open space between the same.

The rst bar or grid c is without pins or teeth, so as to allow any large hard substance or foreign matter in the bers operated upon to drop and prevent its striking and damaging the pins or teeth of the other bars.

The lower part of the assorting-chamber f by meansof partitions vl is formed into a suitable number of bins 7c L 7.32 7a3, adapted to receive the different classes of bers, 7c receiving the very coarse, 7s the coarse, 7a2 the medium, and 7.13 the ne cleaned and combed bers, while a compartment Z, below the grid c', is adapted to receive the refuse and foreign matter extracted from the bers. The treated bers are removed from the assorting-chamber f by means of a door or doors suitably arranged in connection therewith, as shown in Fig. l.

I may use more than one picker-roller b, Fig. 4. I can use any other kind of feeding device without departing from the nature of my invention.

For certain purposes I may render the bins 7s 7c', dac., inoperative by placing a cover over the same, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, or the said bins may be dispensed with altogether. I can, if desired in any case, also have teeth c in the rst bar or grid.

The cleaning, combing, and assorting of mixed mineral ber is attended with difculties not incident to the treatment of the ordinary wool and vegetable ber. In previous methods for so treating asbestos the several operations have been performed in a very imperfect manner and at a great injury to the staple. My improved machine provides means whereby the difculties above mentioned are obviated; but the short ber or nubbings are readily freed from the long ber, this latter result being obtained by the particular construction of revolving pickercylinder, special shape of grid-bars, and specic angle of inclination of the pins, suitable spaces being thereby provided to permit the dirt and short ber to readily drop therethrough, while the angle of the pins serves for the ready passage of the long ber over the same, to be gently cleaned and combed and then passed to the assorting-bins in the large chamber beyond the pickerroll and grid.

Another diiculty which would ensue in attempting to treat mineral ber in machines having grid-bars, as in prior constructions, is the fact that the upper or effective faces of said bars are not sufficiently acute, and therefore the dirt and other foreign matter is not only not properly removed, but the staple sustains a positive injury by reason of its becoming curled. In my machine the presence of the knife-edge bars having the pins inclined -deemed a natural stickiness.

in the direction of the travel of the ber serves to prevent the ber from becoming torn or injured and insures its being maintained straight, so that it can be ne, cleaner, and more uniform and stronger for subsequent employment. The fact must also be borne in mind that mineral ber is somewhat adhering in character owing to what might be To secure a proper assortin g, therefore, it is desirable that afterit has been cleaned and combed it be not permitted to become matted before it is graded or assorted. This I accomplish by locating the assortin g-bins in an enlarged chamber immediately receiving the material as it leaves the grid.

I attach importance to the fact that the upper knife-edge form ation of each bar presents an upper face which inclines throughout, the top of the har thus ofering no frictional resistance to the descent of the material which is discharged against the plane surrounding surface of the contiguous bar, which further reduces any interference with the free descent of the material.

I claimas my invention- 1. The combination in a machine for cleaning, combing and asserting mineral ber, of the inclosed picker-roller b having pins and radially-ad j ustable fan-bladesh,tootl1ed gridbars d, in a curved series below said roller and a large chamber immediately adjacent, substantially as specied.

2. The combination in a machine for cleaning, combing and assorting mineral ber, of the inclosed picker-roller b, having pins and radially-adjustable fan-blades h,toothed gridbars c', in a curved series below the same, and a large chamber immediately adjacent to said roller and series of bars, and provided with assorting-bins 7c,- for receiving the different grades of mineral ber, substantially as herein specied.

3. The combination in a machine for cleaning and combing mineral ber, of an inclosed picker-roller b, having pins and radially-adj ustable fan-blades 7L, and toothed grid-bars c', arranged beneath the same in a support adjustable to and from said roller, substantially as herein specied.

4. The combination in a machine for cleaning and combing mineral ber, of an incloscd picker-roller l), having pins and radially-adjustable fan-blades 7L, and grid-bars c', arranged beneath the same in a support adjustable to and from said roller, said bars being provided with pins inclined in the direction of the travel of the ber, substantially as herein specied.

5. The combination in a machine for cleaning and combing mineral ber, of an inclosed picker-roller b, having pins and radially-adj ustable fan-blades h, toothed grid-bars c', arranged beneath the same in a support adjustable to and from said roller, and a large chamber immediately adjacent, substantially as herein specied.

IOO

IIO

'6. The combination in a machine for cleaning mineral ber, of an inclosed picker-roller b, and a series of grid-bars c', below the same, each bar having an upper face forming a top knife-edge and inclined toward the rear surface of the succeeding bar, together with a pin or pins bearing in said upper face and oppositely inclined to extend in the direction in which the ber travels, and a large chamber immediately adjacent to said roller and series of bars and provided with assorting-bins k, for receiving the different grades of mineral ber, substantially as herein specied.

7. The combination in a machine for cleaning mineral ber, of an inclosed picker-roller l) and series of grid-bars c' beneath the same, each bar having an upper face forming a top knife-edge and inclined toward the rear surface of the succeeding bar, all the bars of the series except one or two at the beginning having a pin or pins bearing in their upper inclined faces and oppositely inclined to extend in the direction in which the ber travels, and a large chamber adjacent to said roller and bars, and provided with assorting-bins la, for receiving the different grades of mineral ber, substantially as herein specied.

S. The combination in a machine for cleaning ber of an inclosed picker-roller b, having pins and radially-adjustable fan-blades h, and a series of grid-bars c below the same, all the bars of the series except one ory two at the beginning having a pin or pins inclined in the direction of the passage of the ber, the said bar or bars without pins admitting of any hard substance in the ber being eliminated before the ber reaches the bars provided with pins, substantially as herein specied.

9. The combination in a machine for cleaning ber of an inclosed picker-roller, aseries of grid-bars arranged beneath the same in a support adjustable to and from said roller, all of the bars of the series except one or two at thebeginning having a pin or pins inclined in the direction of the travel of the ber, and a large chamber adjacent to said roller, and bars, and provided with assorting-bins 7c, substantially as herein specied.

In testimonythat I claim the invention above set forth I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. ARCHER.

Witnesses J. B. CLAU'TICE, M. F. BoYLE. 

